Chapter 29 Center Of His Life
CENTER OF HIS LIFE
Jayce wasn’t sure he was going to admit he’d been offered his old job back. To him, that chapter was closed. He had no desire to reopen it. No reason to keep the offer tucked away like some secret temptation.
He hadn’t told his parents, fearing they’d only use it as ammunition. As a way to make him question himself, to wonder if he’d chosen wrong. Or maybe they’d question themselves and worry they’d pressured him. They didn’t need that doubt any more than him.
But Farrah…he wanted her to know. To understand that staying wasn’t about work or even about rebuilding his health. It was about her. About the way she and Archer had carved themselves into the center of his life without him even realizing it at first.
She was on the list now. The short, sacred list of things that truly mattered.
And hearing her say she felt the same? That was more than reassurance. It was the kind of gift he hadn’t dared to dream he’d be worthy of. Hadn’t even known it was something he wanted.
But now, it was the only thing he was looking forward to at the end of the work week.
Time with her. Time with Archer.
Time for a future.
“What’s going through your mind?” he asked.
“Trying to figure out what is spinning in yours,” she said, laughing.
“I’m not sure I can figure it out, but it’s all good.”
“Then we’ll leave it at that.”
“Tell me about your week. What did I miss with Archer?”
She smirked. “I thought this was our date night. We can talk about Archer if you want.”
“Sorry. I’m sure my parents liked having a night away without thinking of us. I’m not used to it as much.”
“It’s all good,” she said. “I don’t have a problem with it, never that. Just that we get little time to ourselves. He wanted to know if he could come with us to dinner and I said no.”
“Not the best place for him.”
“And he’s going to dinner with my parents, then they are watching a movie. He asked what else we were doing tonight.”
“I bet you blushed,” he said.
“I’m sure I did. I told him that I didn’t know.”
“Oh, you know,” he said, winking at her.
“Not the details of it.”
“True.”
“Jayce!”
He turned his head and saw two old high school buddies making their way over. He stood up. “Simon, Noah.”
“Dude, how have you been?”
He shook both of their hands. “Great. I didn’t think that was you,” Noah said. “Thought Simon was pulling one over on us. Just visiting?”
“No, I’m back in the area now. You guys remember Farrah Hughes?”
“I told you that is who it was,” Noah said, elbowing Simon. “You haven’t changed much. I mean, you have gotten much better with age, but I still noticed you before I did Jayce.”
She laughed while Jayce tried to fight back the urge to not have the ugly green monster he hadn’t known existed in his body make an appearance.
“It’s good to see you both,” she said.
“Are you two an item?” Noah asked.
“We are,” Jayce said.
“Is that why you’re back? I mean it takes a lot to give up that sweet job you had.”
“I came back before I saw Farrah again,” he said.
“What was it like working with all those guys?” Noah asked. “I’d never leave if I were you, unless you got canned. I mean, not that you’d admit that.”
He laughed. Noah had always been a little free with his words. “I didn’t get canned. They’ve been asking me back for months, but you know, sometimes you just overstay your welcome and have to move on to something better. What about you two, what are you up to?”
He wouldn’t have asked that question if he knew they were going to pull out the two chairs at the table and sit.
Farrah was only smiling so he’d let it go. She’d gotten along with almost everyone and they’d all hung out together for years.
“I’m a project manager for a medical supply company,” Simon said. “This idiot is Durham PD. Ever think you’d see the day? He’s the one I thought would be arrested for stupid shit, not wearing the badge.”
“No shit,” he said. “Guess we were wrong about that.”
“I grew up some,” Noah said. “Got a kid now and needed to settle down.”
“You’re married?” he asked.
“No,” Noah said, shaking his head. “Just knocked up my ex. We share custody.” Noah pulled his phone out. “This is my daughter, Mariah. She’s four. Looks like me, huh?”
He looked at the picture of the little girl. “Sure. Except for the blonde hair, blue eyes, and wide smile. But everything else is totally you,” he said, laughing.
“She has your nose and chin,” Farrah said. “I can see it.”
“That’s right, she does,” Noah said proudly. “I thought I heard you were married, Farrah.”
“I was. I’ve been divorced for five years. I’ve got an eight-year-old. His name is Archer.”
“Kids are great,” Noah said. “Now I need to find the rest.”
Jayce laughed. Never thought he’d hear those words either. “And you think you’re going to find it here?”
“Simon talked me into it. I’m sure he just likes to throw my job around or something. It’s like dude, if it helped get me laid I wouldn’t be out here with you tonight.”
Simon elbowed him. “Maybe we can both hook up. That’s the plan. You didn’t say what you were doing now, Jayce.”
“I’m handling all the marketing and communication for McCarthy’s.”
“No fucking way,” Noah said. “You told everyone you’d never work for the family company unless you had no choice.”
He hated having those words thrown back at him he’d said in the stupidity of youth.
“No one knows what they want at seventeen,” he said.
“I always knew,” she said grinning.
“What do you do?” Noah asked.
“I’m a physician assistant.”
“Damn, good for you. You were always smart,” Simon said. “Seriously, Jayce. Everything okay with your parents?”
“Yes, why?”
“It’s the only thing I thought would bring you home.”
“Nope,” he said. “Lots of things can and do, but the truth is, I’m loving this. Not sure why I rejected it as a kid.”
There was more truth to those words than he expected to feel.
“I wouldn’t have,” Noah said. “You can probably come and do whatever the hell you want. That company is going to you guys anyway, might as well cash in while you can and grow it.”
It wasn’t exactly how he was thinking of those things, but it wasn’t the place to argue either.
Their food was brought out before he could say another word.
Simon reached over and snagged a nacho. Just like old times.
He had done nothing like this in years.
The guys he’d hung out with in the past few years were used to ordering the most expensive food on the menu when they were at the bar.
Drawing attention to themselves and hoping to get any chick to go back to a room with them.
In the past year he spent more time cutting them off and waylaying women to avoid bad press or headaches.
As much as he wanted the time alone with Farrah, he noticed she was having a good time talking to Noah about his daughter.
She filled her plate with some snacks, so he did the same.
“The company is growing,” he said. “Much faster than I thought. It’s time I put my stamp on it. I don’t think that’s a bad deal.”
“You’re the only one who thought it was back then,” Simon said. “I always thought you were nuts, but hey, good for you. Glad you’re back in town.”
He laughed. “Glad to be back.”
Farrah smirked at those words as if she was saying, “stop being so hard on yourself.”
Or maybe that was what he just needed to do.
Two hours later, Farrah pulled his car into her driveway. He wasn’t drunk, but he’d had three beers in the two and a half hours they were there, to her one glass of wine.
It was great to hang out with his friends again. Even having Farrah as part of it.
Like the good old days, only they legally could drink and not have to hide it.
Though she looked like a sexy goddess, she talked sports and parenting with them all.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever been around a woman who could blend in so well with his friends, his family, and into his entire life.
The minute they were in the house, he had her backed against the wall in the foyer.
“I think you’re feeling a little frisky,” she said, humming her throat. “I worried you might lose the mood bonding with your bros.”
“That was great. But you were doing as much chatting as me.”
“It was fun, but no more talk about it. This is our time. We don’t get enough of it.”
His mouth landed on her neck, his tongue coming out to lick, then trailed a path up to her ear, pulled it between his lips and sucked.
“We don’t so we need to take advantage of it. No time to waste. How steady are you on those heels?”
“Not steady enough on wood floors,” she said, laughing.
He scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder, the hem of her dress brushing across his cheek before he shoved it out of the way.
The couch was as far as he bothered to go. No sense wasting time on extra steps when every part of him was already burning for her. They’d make it to her room later.
He lowered her onto the cushions, then dropped to his knees, his hands wrapping around her ankles. His touch slowly traced upward, his fingers gliding over her calves before he swept the fabric of her dress over his head like a veil, going in for a deep dive.
The room was dim, the shadows clinging, light barely enough to catch the outline of her most private parts. But he didn’t need to see. His body knew where he was going. His hunger knew exactly what it wanted.
He felt silk and wished he could appreciate it more, but the heat radiating off of her body told him everything that he needed to know.
She wanted this just as much as him.
He pushed the material to the side, his mouth attaching on for a taste. Two weeks it’d been since he’d been here, two weeks of dreams, torture and cravings for more.
It was his now and he was going to gorge until he couldn’t take another minute. Or until she couldn’t.
He latched on hard, heard her whimper for more, then slid two fingers in like last time. Get her ready, get her there, make her his.
It didn’t take as much time as he wanted.
Three thrusts, and she was pulsing around him, squirming on the couch and pushing closer.
When he would have continued to build her again, the material of her dress came up and over his head, a fist of it held in her hand.
“Fuck me now,” she said.
She was wiggling out of her panties and he had no control to deny her demand.
He grabbed the condom out of his pocket, undid his pants, dropped them down, covered his cock. Snatching her ankles back up in his hands, he slid her to the edge of the couch, then dropped to his knees.
He slammed in quickly, then again.
“That’s it,” she said. “Don’t stop. Just keep doing it like that.”
“Touch yourself,” he said.
One hand released the bottom of her dress, her long finger gliding between her lower lips and touching the spot his mouth was on minutes ago.
She was pressing, swirling and swiping. Trying to find the exact motion she needed.
He kept watching, kept looking and storing the information away for the next time. To know everything that pleased her.
His movements were jerkier than he wanted them to be, but his control was on a rapid decline with her spread wide by his hands.
She was his for the taking and he took. Nothing was holding him back, nothing was going to stop him from branding her as his.
His breath was coming out in short clips, hers doing the same. “Are you close?”
He felt her closing tighter around him, her hips trying to move along but not able with the speed he was pounding into her.
She only nodded her head, but it was enough for him to sink in fast, hold her tight and grind with short urgent thrusts.
He wanted to be deep inside when she came. He didn’t want to miss one ounce of the pleasure they brought to each other.
The minute she shouted out his name, he knew he could finally open up and let it all out.
If his heart emptied with it, that was his secret for now.